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The Largely Literary Theater Company will present a program of folk tales at the Books for Africa Library Project’s annual fundraising dinner. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15, in the St. Bernard Church Social Hall.

            The church is in downtown Akron, at the intersection of Broadway and State Streets. Parking is available at the University of Akronlot opposite the church.

            The Books for Africa Library Project is a non-profit organization that helps communities set up libraries in rural Africa. The project has established libraries in Ghana and Liberia.

            How would you like a magic pot that doubles anything you put into it? Have you ever feasted with a grizzly bear? Or watched a monkey and a rabbit engage in a contest that explains their natural habitats? Or met a man only as tall as your knee? And what will happen when a clever Irish daughter tries to inherit her father’s fortunes?

            These are some of the humorous fables, legends and stories that  Largely Literary co-founder and managing director Sara Showman will perform at the Books for Africa Library Project benefit. Titled Folk Tale Fun from Around the World, the program features folks tales from different cultures, continents and centuries.

The dinner and performance are free, but donations will be collected. This is the third consecutive year the Largely Literary Theater Company has appeared at the annual Books for Africa Library Project dinner at the landmark downtown Akron church.

“It’s always an honor to be  part of this special evening,’’ said Mark Dawidziak, the artistic director of the Largely Literary Theater Company. “The mission of our theater is to promote literacy and literature, so we’re literally on the same page with the Books for Africa Library Project. The work they do is nothing short of inspiring.”

            Dawidziak will introduce Showman’s program of folk tales, briefly discussing the need and power of storytelling.  Specializing in faithful adaptations of great literary works, the Largely Literary Theater Company was founded in 2001 to promote literacy, literature and live theater. The troupe is best known for: Twain By Three, a two-act adaptation of humorous sketches by Mark Twain;  The Tell-Tale Play, a two-act collection of poems and stories by Edgar Allan Poe; and its three-person version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, which was toured for seven years to Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, Kent, Medina, Solon and many other Ohio cities.

            The company recently performed Twain By Three as part of Wayne County’s Big Read devoted to Mark Twain. Last year, the troupe premiered its latest play, The Mystery of Dashiell Hammett, written for Hiram College’s Big Read program celebrating Hammett and The Maltese Falcon.

Showman performs “Eve’s Diary” and portrays other characters in Twain By Three.  She plays 15 roles in A Christmas Carol, and performs “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Bells” and “Alone” in The Tell-Tale Play. She also performs various storytelling programs for grades K-2 and 3-5. She recently added a program for senior citizens titled Stories for the Ages, ideal for Red Hatters, senior church groups, clubs and civic organizations.

For bookings, contact Dawidziak and Showman at the Largely Literary Theater Company: 330-923-8350 or at hlgrouch@sbcglobal.net

            For information about Books for Africa Library Project, call Kirt and Hilda Bromley at 330-666-6818 or visit www.forafricalibrary.org. Donations can be mailed to Post Office Box 4049, Copley, Ohio 44321.